1. How should we approach the development of cyber-policy and -infrastructure given the “short arm” of predictive knowledge?

2. How does cyber technology impact interactions between offenders and victims?

1. Cyber policy is constantly changing/upgrading and because of these changes, so does the infrastructure that is built based on these policies. Since there is no way cybersecurity professionals can predict what can or will happen next, there needs to be a level of openness when approaching the development of cyber-policy and infrastructure. Cyber policy is changing year to year and based on what can or has happened that has affected cyber security systems. There should always be preventative cyber-policy, but it also needs to include the fact that this is not set in stone. Systems and cyber security professionals need to understand that what they have today may in fact change tomorrow and be aware of these changes. Cyber policy should be developed with a basis that changes can and have to be made easily. Just like engineers design their systems for iteration, cyber-policy and infrastructure needs to be approached and developed in the same manner. People need to assume that at some point the policy has holes or mistakes in it and make it easily adjustable for change. Since infrastructure relies on these policies, it also needs to be approached in the same manner. The infrastructure should be open to integrate new technology and other policies throughout the systems. Although it can be difficult to have an open mind and a system open to change, that is the way that cyber-policy and infrastructure need to be approached because it is the only way that organizations will be able to keep their systems secure.
2. Cyber technology has helped law enforcement officers keep the world safe, but it has affected the relationship between offenders and their victims. With cyber technology, offenders can now harass, stalk, and put tabs on their victim. These online offenses include “engaging in an act or behavior that torments, annoys, terrorizes, offends, or threatens an individual via email, instant messages, or other means with the intention of harming that person” (Hazelwood and Koon-Magnin). Offenders have more power over their victims when committing these crimes against someone online because they could be anywhere in the world. Cyber harassment and stalking also adds more stress to the victims because cyber technology is so new that legislative laws have not caught up and victims are less protected when it comes to online stalking or harassing. Offenders can have little to no consequences and continue to contact their victim. Plus, it is much easier for online offenders to be anonymous which then makes it harder to catch and discipline the offender. When it comes to online offenses the offender has almost all the power in the technological realm, but laws are slowly changing and catching up to protect the victims of these crimes.

Hazelwood Steven and Koon-Magnin Sarah. “Cyber Stalking and Cyber Harassment Legislation in the United States: A Qualitative Analysis.” International Journal of Cyber Criminology. Vol. 7, Iss. 2, 2013, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OxzCb7kIVw7k2T8he_039V-nAgZBEhRU/view. Accessed 26 Jun 2020.